Purshade helps protect pineapples agaist heat stress and sun damage

Grown in hot, tropical climates, pineapples are susceptible to heat stress and sun damage, which has been shown to limit plant production as well as deteriorate or discolor tissue that can render the fruit unsellable.

Purfresh, a leading provider of clean technologies has announced that pineapple growers from major tropical growing regions have achieved a significant reduction in heat stress and sun damage with the company’s solar stress protectant—Purshade®.

Purshade has been engineered to prevent solar damage and heat stress by reflecting harmful wavelengths of solar radiation such as ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) away from the plant, while still allowing transmission of sufficient sunlight for photosynthesis. Laboratory results show Purshade reflects as much as 85–95 percent of harmful UV radiation, and has been shown to keep plant surfaces 7–10 degrees Fahrenheit (3–6 degrees Celsius) cooler than untreated plants.

Purshade is currently being used to protect pineapple crops in the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Mexico, Australia, Costa Rica, the Caribbean, and the United States. In addition, Purshade is being used in trials in the Philippines, Kenya, and Thailand with intentions to commercialize the product. Growers throughout these regions report Purshade’s ease of use and high level of effectiveness has enabled them to discontinue use of more costly, labor-intensive methods of sun protection.

The calcium-based Purshade family of products is easy to mix, apply, and remove; are highly compatible with other products; and can be applied with standard spray equipment. Incorporating a Purshade solar protectant into a preventative spray program, for conventional or organic production, helps maximize the value of every treated acre by reducing solar-related losses, increasing yield potential, enhancing crop quality, and improving water use efficiency.

Purfresh